Saturday, October 5, 2013

Breaking Bad Obamacare Ad?

The last episode of Breaking Bad was last week, and it made me think of some alternate endings to the show they could have used, like our heroic chemistry teacher-turned-meth cook could have been arrested by the cops, and then he could have died slowly in prison of cancer for the next four seasons, etching viewers that crime doesn't pay. But, I thought, at least in prison, he'd have adequate healthcare. And that made me think of something else: a possible Breaking Bad-themed ad for Obamacare.

So in this proposed ad for Obamacare, we'd see the Walter White character get his cancer diagnosis, wonder how he's going to pay for his treatment, worry about bankrupting his family from the high cost of healthcare, and then we'd see excerpts from his life of crime in the show, and all because he can't afford treatment for his health problems. And then we'd see an effect where the scene we're seeing of his life of crime goes into his eye, showing he's just thinking about doing that stuff at this point, rather than actually doing it yet, and then someone says to him: "Are you signing up for Obamacare? They can't exclude based on pre-existing conditions, so you can get covered now." And then the announcer says: "You don't need to take drastic measures to afford treatment for your health problems. Sign up for the Affordable Care Act: Whatever your medical condition, we've got you covered!"

(This ad cheats the Breaking Bad storyline a bit, as in rather than trying to earn a load of cash for his family, he is trying to save them from going broke due to the cost of his cancer treatment, but I think everyone would get the message. And yes, there will probably be co-pays that could wipe out a patient's family's savings even with Obamacare, but this ad would just be to communicate the idea of everyone being able to get health insurance now through Obamacare, whereas before sick people often couldn't get any health insurance.)